On September 23rd, NCHS students were evacuated from the building when a fire started in a trash can in a first floor bathroom near the auditorium mezzanine. According to Mark Johnson, the NCHS Campus Supervisor, the fire started when “a group of freshman students decided that it would be a good idea to light a trashcan on fire.” The big plastic trash can liner caught fire and had a “pretty intense amount of flame and smoke,” Johnson said. According to Johnson, it was Ms. Chavez who first saw the flames. Johnson says he then heard the call on the school radio about the fire and asked if an evacuation was needed. Sgt. Scott Jones, who is in charge of the School Resource Officers for Natrona County School District, replied that an evacuation was necessary, at which point the main office made an announcement. 

Several minutes later, emergency vehicles arrived to put out the fire. When asked what was on his mind when he heard about the fire, fire chief Devin Garvin, “typically, when it’s a structure fire, my main concern is how many individuals are in the school, and if they were evacuated in a timely fashion, so no one was hurt.” Garvin said that four fire engines, one ladder truck, two deputy fire chiefs, 1 training firefighter, one ambulance, and several police cars responded to the call.  Though all of these vehicles weren’t needed, their quick response would save many lives in a large fire. 

After the firefighters arrived, the fire was quickly put out and all the other bathrooms were checked. 

Though the fire was unusual, staff at NCHS have procedures in place to ensure the safety of students and staff during a fire.  Johnson urges that “When you hear a fire alarm you should also listen for an announcement, that is telling you to actually go ahead and evacuate or not. Cause we don’t want to be in a situation, there has been one situation in a school shooting down in Arkansas, where  somebody, one of the shooters pulled the fire alarm inside, and as people were coming outside, there was a shooter outside the building that opened fire. We want to make sure we only evacuate if there’s actually a fire.” With a fire drill, students and staff are allowed back inside as soon as the building is clear. 

Even though the fire caused disruption and alarmed students and staff, school continued on as normal after the firefighters left, with a college fair in the gym later in the day and a football game that evening.

The bathroom where the fire occurred is currently closed off due to the fire and damage from numerous other vandalizations.